Worklife.

In-house groups working out well for employers

Back in the 1970s, when women's networks were beginning to proliferate, many businesses considered in-house networks--organized by employees of the same company--as a threat to management.

But today in-house networks, for women and men, are viewed with approval: Companies now encourage employees to form them.

"In-house networks are important tools for people who want to get together for support and development--so this is not rocket science anymore," said Sunita Holzer,vicepresident of human resources for General Electric Co., headquartered in Fairfield, Conn., a diversified technology and services company with 300,000 employees worldwide and more than $13.7 billion in earnings last year.

Holzer, who has a master's degree in labor relations and human resource management, also is director of GE's Global Employer of Choice, created in 2000 to develop diversity and global work/life issues.

An active networker, Holzer helps facilitate four in-house networks, which are local chapters of organizations developed for and open to all employees of General Electric Co.

"Organizations have begun to realize that in-house networks also help the employer recruit more diverse talent, develop careers and provide mentoring," said Holzer, a member of the GE Women's Network, formed in 1997, and, as an Asian-American, of the Asian Pacific American Forum, started in 1998. She also belongs to the African American Forum, organized in 1991, and the Hispanic Forum, started in 1998.

All in-house networks at GE are "grass roots," initiated and organized by employees. Membership is free and participants plan their own programs and activities, which include company events and community volunteer work. GE provides a meeting place and some funding for the organizations' special events and gives time off for national network meetings.

The Women's Network has 13,500 members; the African American Forum, 3,000. The other two networks don't track membership.

"In-house networks take valuable employees, give them the support and contacts they need and make them even more valuable," said Holzer.

Cecilia O. Lofters, vice president and senior intellectual property counsel for GE, is a member of the African American Forum.

"It's given me an opportunity to meet other African Americans, to have informal mentors and to get to know the company better," said Lofters.

And Lofters, who recently went to the national meeting of her network in Washington--also attended by top corporate executives--says that her "participation certainly has helped me at all levels of the company."

Jim Torres, managing director of E-business projects for GE Real Estate, is part of the leadership of the GE Hispanic Forum, which he helped organize.

The forum, says Torres, has given him visibility in the company that otherwise "might not have occurred."

Torres' group also has helped his employer.

"We started a program of recruiting job candidates for the company from the University of Puerto Rico," he said. "We knew it was important to fish where the fish are, and now it's one of our top recruiting schools."

Michael Chen, a senior vice president and regional manager for North America for GE Aviation Services, was an organizer of the Asian Pacific American Forum.

"It's given me the opportunity to spend time with top executives, to show I can lead, drive change and have organizational skills," said Chen.

"It's meant a lot to me to have a chance to help educate our members about leadership roles and it's enriched my life through community service," he said.

An in-house network, according to Chen, works best when it's "a partnership between the company and you."

Which is what in-house networks are all about.

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Carol Kleiman's columns also appear in Sunday Business and Wednesday's Working sections. She is the author of the newly-published book, "Winning the Job Game: The new rules for finding and keeping the job you want" (Wiley, $16.95). Send e-mail to ckleiman@tribune.com.